by Liz Tyner
‘Your scar only increases your perfection and beauty. It makes you all the stronger.’
‘You saved me.’
‘If I had known, I would have prevented the accident, because I ache at the thought of you suffering. I would happily bear the pain myself, rather than it be inflicted on you.’
He kissed her, guiding her on top of him, uniting with her and leading her into a path of passion and discovery.
* * *
When their lovemaking was completed, he slid from the bed.
An expanse of male chest was in front of her. He was completely unselfconscious and that gave her pause.
She’d not imagined herself ever to be so relaxed in front of him, but then his eyes raked over her, with the sheet around her, and caused a heat to soar inside her and a tingling in her breasts, freeing her from self-consciousness.
Perhaps she could.
‘Does the burn still hurt?’ he asked, while donning his trousers. He sat to slip on his boots before returning to his feet.
She shrugged. ‘Some. Nothing bad. I’m careful not to wear a corset too tight.’
He donned his shirt and then his waistcoat. ‘Are you going to lie there all night?’ he asked. ‘I’d expected you to be jumping from the bed and rushing me to get you home. Like last time.’
She pulled the sheet with her and sat. ‘I didn’t schedule anything for early in the morning.’
‘Thoughtful of you.’ The words were drawled into the room.
‘It is vital to me. To change the direction of the shop. To keep my grandfather’s hard work going as he would have wanted it,’ she said.
‘Because it’s important to you, it’s important to me.’
She’d not expected him to say that. ‘I didn’t think you liked it.’
‘I would rather it not concern you. I would rather your life have no more worry than what colour ribbon might improve a bonnet and let someone else handle all the rest of it. But I wouldn’t like my life to only be what style my next hat will be and I suppose you feel the same way.’
‘I do. Plus, I don’t trust my feelings. I saw Ambrose today and that frightened me anew. I came within a hair’s breadth of an unsatisfactory marriage.’ She could not admit to him how pathetic she now found Tenney. She’d been so wrong. So wrong.
‘I’m not Tenney. Don’t hang on to his memory to push me from you. If you wish to end our connection, I understand, but don’t use him as an excuse. Don’t compare me to him. We’re not the same person.’
Aligning at the bed, he lifted her hand to his lips. He placed a kiss in her palm and then closed her fist over it. He grasped her wrist lightly and moved it so that her hand touched over her heart.
‘I’ll lace up your corset when I return,’ he said. ‘And then we’ll get you home safely and quietly.’
‘What are you going to do?’
‘I’m going to alert the carriage driver to be ready.’
He walked out of the door and she realised a marriage proposal would have been a much better end to lovemaking than having a carriage readied.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The next day, Rachael was summoned to the sitting room. Devlin stood as she rose. His cravat was black and his eyes intense.
‘He ran away.’
‘Who?’
‘My dog.’
‘Scamp?’ she asked. ‘He could barely walk.’
‘I know. He had to be determined just to get down the stairs.’
‘How did he get out?’
‘The butler opened the door to go out and Scamp charged into the street. The stable boy tried to stop him and Scamp tripped him and drooled on him. I had to give the stable boy another promotion quickly or he might have run away as well.’
‘Scamp could actually run?’
‘Yes. At least out of my front door. I can’t imagine him able to get much further. The butler thinks the dog had a flicker of lucidity and he remembered where he belonged. That’s what we hope for anyway.’
‘How can you be distraught? You just got him and you chose him because of his age. You gave him two happy days or so.’
‘Yes. I know. But I feel rather betrayed. As if he didn’t choose to be with me.’
‘He remembered where he lived and wanted to find his true family.’
‘He had excellent staff at my home.’
‘A home isn’t judged by the number of servants.’
‘Don’t make light of it.’ Devlin stared at her. ‘This was a test for me. A chance to test how well I might get on with something other than family. I’d given him a good house and meals, and spent time with him.’
‘Perhaps you could get another pet?’
‘None would need me as much as Scamp. I liked that dog.’
‘You couldn’t have been that fond of Scamp.’
‘I was fond enough. I was proving that I could be—a dog owner.’
‘Maybe you should have started with a bird.’
The glare he gave her would have shocked his friends because they wouldn’t have believed him capable of appearing so cross. She burst out laughing. ‘He just remembered where his owner was and wanted to go home.’
Devlin levelled a glance at her. ‘When Scamp was in my life for just a short while and I was drawn to him, I wondered why. At first, I thought he needed me. He wasn’t impressed by me which gave me pause. He treated me the same as he would have an underservant.’
The words remained in the air between them and gently evolved.
‘You think that is why you are attracted to me. Because I’m not impressed by you?’
‘Yes.’
‘Oh.’
‘Am I more to you than others?’ he asked.
‘Yes.’
‘That I even considered that question does not bode well,’ he said. ‘If I don’t feel it, then I wonder if you are capable of putting me first in your life, or if you will always find a reason to pursue something else before me.’
‘Are you telling me that you don’t wish to continue our friendship?’
‘No, I’m asking you to make sure you want to. I’m asking you to put me above all others.’
* * *
For the first time since her accident, she anticipated going to the dance, expecting a perfect night.
She’d talked to Mr Grimsley earlier in the day and he’d been the happiest she’d ever seen him. He’d mentioned customers had arrived to examine the rings and that one customer had purchased a matching set of bracelets and a necklace. Then a betrothed woman had stopped at the shop with her mother because they were selecting items for the bride-to-be’s new residence. Grimsley steered them away from particular specially designed rings.
The only disappointment was that Devlin wouldn’t be at the event. He’d promised to spend the evening with his father.
When she arrived at the soirée, her first sight was the wallflower, Susanna, whom she’d met when they’d discussed the failure of both their betrothals. They stood at the refreshments when the music began for the opening dance.
‘Your earrings tonight are lovely, but by far my favourite jewellery you’ve worn was the sapphires at the last soirée,’ Susanna said. ‘I told Mother how much I liked them and she said she will let me have a similar pair for my birthday. They were close to a match with my eye colour.’
Rachael studied Susanna’s irises. ‘I’ve seen jewels that are the exact colour you need. I know someone who could locate some and make earrings like the pair I had on. The stones themselves aren’t as costly, but I think you would be happier with them because people will be more aware of your eyes.’
Susanna ducked her head. ‘That’s the feature people notice most about me, I’d be thrilled with jewellery to match.’
Then, as she raised her face her expression tensed when she saw someone behind Rachael.
‘I hope she doesn’t talk to me,’ Susanna whispered and Rachael saw her glance at the Duchess of Highwood. ‘She always makes me nervous.’
Almost before the words were out of her mouth, the Duchess noticed them and came their way. Susanna cringed, standing closer to Rachael.
‘So sad you had to spend the last year in black, but I think you should have mourned an extra year to show you really cared,’ the older woman said to Susanna. ‘Attending parties is not the way to sufficiently exhibit your love.’ She patted Susanna’s arm. ‘Fetch me a glass of wine.’
Susanna raised a gloved finger and a footman responded, and brought a tray by them.
They each took a glass.
‘I told Lady Smith not to plan any waltz music tonight. At first I approved of it, but now I see how it could corrupt young ladies like yourselves, assuming you’ve not been corrupted already with those broken betrothals.’ She rotated her arm, almost colliding with Susanna.
Susanna retreated to avoid the Duchess’s glass and stumbled on her skirt hem. Her drink wobbled and she lurched to catch it.
The liquid splashed towards the older woman’s face.
The woman shrieked. Half the musicians stopped playing and all eyes turned her way, observing the wine dripping from the point of the Duchess’s chin and running in rivulets down her collarbone on to her décolleté.
The last instruments stilled.
In that second, Rachael recognised the silence. She’d heard it before.
Even though Susanna was still standing, her face had crumpled and her empty glass dangled from her fingertips.
‘I am so sorry, Susanna.’ Rachael’s voice rang out and she couldn’t have stopped it if she’d wanted to. ‘So sorry. I didn’t mean to bump your arm.’ Then she almost choked when she saw the Duchess’s glare. ‘Please forgive me.’
She moved Susanna aside, attempting to take the Duchess’s arm, but the woman jerked it aside, sloshing her own drink and adding to the spill on her cleavage.
‘Abomination. That’s what this is. An abomination.’
For some reason, Rachael wanted to giggle when she saw the footman standing, open-mouthed, and his grip locked on his own tray. ‘Handkerchiefs, please,’ she instructed him. ‘And will someone assist Her Grace to the ladies’ retiring room?’
Rachael took Susanna, her voice strong enough to carry to all the guests. ‘I don’t know how I could have been so clumsy, Susanna. Will you ever forgive me?’
‘I will never forgive either of you,’ the Duchess muttered. ‘This dress is ruined.’
‘I will direct that the bodice of your dress is replaced by the best seamstress in London. And, everyone...’ she briefly viewed the others ‘...please check that all the lamps are strongly secured. We must all be thankful I have learned not to stand near them.’
A few muffled laughs answered her statement.
Rachael waved to the musicians. ‘Could you please start the music again? And, everyone, please forget you ever saw this.’
‘Awk!’ the Duchess called from just beyond the room. ‘I will demand that everyone remembers this.’
Rachael shrugged, then led Susanna to a man at the side. ‘Are you hoping for a partner in the dance?’ she asked him. He bowed to Susanna and led her to the row of dancers, and the music commenced.
Rachael blew a strand of her hair to the side of her face and followed after the Duchess.
‘I will never forget this,’ the lady of the house said, close behind Rachael. ‘We all would have liked to have done that to the Duchess at some time or another. And I’ll be sure to invite you the next time I plan something. You do tend to liven things up. Please stay. I’ll attempt to calm the Duchess.’
An older man approached Rachael. ‘May I have the next dance? I want to be near you to see what happens next.’
‘Nothing, I hope,’ Rachael said.
‘Well, if it does, I want you standing by my brother. He’s infuriating with his self-importance. It would be good to have him adjusted down a notch and you’re the woman who could do it.’
* * *
When her father stopped to take her mother’s arm, she knew he wanted to leave and she joined them.
Before they stepped into the carriage, she removed the feather in her mother’s turban so it wouldn’t be broken on the roof and gave the plume to her mother.
‘Thank you, dear.’ Her mother checked that the turban remained the same. ‘I was watching. I know you didn’t tap Susanna’s arm. I’m proud of you.’
‘I didn’t choose to do that. I just had to.’
‘Which makes it all the better,’ her mother said. ‘You’re a woman who does what she has to. What she believes she has to do. And, really, that’s what makes the difference.’
‘It’s a shame your grandfather didn’t live long enough to know you. He’d be so proud,’ her father added.
The words fluttered inside Rachael, adding a balm to an awkward evening.
‘I didn’t observe the Viscount in attendance...which surprised me,’ her mother said. ‘Was he expected?’
‘He went to the country with his father and Payton to retrieve some horses. He said it was long overdue. He’s returned, but I expect he was busy with his father.’
‘Of course. Family is important.’ She straightened the ostrich feather and put it flat across her lap. ‘I can only thank him for what he has done for us... For you... You’re not the same Rachael and I’m pleased that you seem so much more comfortable now than you did with Mr Tenney. Take care, though.’
‘Father, might I take the carriage after we arrive home?’
She heard the sputters and even in the darkness she could see him puffing up into an explosive answer.
Her mother touched his hand. ‘Your father doesn’t think it’s a good idea. And, Dear One, that’s not what I meant by taking care.’
‘Before he left, Devlin mentioned he planned to propose when he returned and I would like to know if he was serious. I’ve been thinking about my answer.’
Her mother sputtered this time. ‘D-Dear, you didn’t pursue the question at the time. You had to think about it?’
‘Are you daft?’ her father shouted.
Immediately her mother pulled down the shades in the carriage, although Rachael didn’t grasp how that would keep the discussion more private. The coachman had surely heard the shout and the horses had even been aware of discord as they’d picked up speed.
She patted the side of the carriage seat. She seemed to be testing people’s vocal range more than usual.
‘I could not marry him because he pitied me. Or because he needed an heir. He just said that we should get married and I could not risk another meaningless proposal.’
‘Yes. You could.’ Her father’s voice hadn’t lowered. His arms crossed. ‘She gets these ideas from you.’ He spoke to her mother.
‘I was betrothed for a long time to Ambrose Tenney and I do not want history to repeat itself. I don’t.’
‘You could have suggested the Viscount obtain a Special Licence. You are too old to be waiting.’
‘Father. I am past waiting. I’m not waiting on anyone now. And I don’t want to be a pitied victim.’
‘Dear.’ Her mother reached out, one hand resting on Rachael’s and one on her husband’s. ‘You are not a victim to anyone. You never were. Not even to Tenney. If you remember, when he courted you, you were completely happy to keep him at a distance and wait. A letter sufficed and you were content with that.’
Her mother sat deeper in the seat and crossed her arms. ‘You never even saw the other men who tried to catch your attention in the meantime. But almost immediately, when you formed a friendship with Devlin, you were meeting privately.’
‘They’re meeting privately?’ her father shouted again.
‘Don’t scare the horse
s and the people in the houses we’re passing by don’t need to be aware of our conversation,’ her mother spoke gently.
‘The Viscount is charming. And I do care for him. Apart from my family, he is the best friend I’ve ever had.’
‘And you, my dear daughter, are lying to yourself if you think you’re easily led,’ her mother said. ‘I have no qualms at all if you are to remain unwed. I am all for it if it is what you wish. But do not lie to yourself. You are no one’s victim.’
Her father snorted again and repeated her mother’s words. ‘She’s no one’s victim.’
‘What if I were to marry Devlin and he were to change affections?’
Her father grumbled, ‘I would assume you wouldn’t even ask for his carriage, but you would just take it and do as you wished. As you have with my London shop.’
She didn’t speak.
‘I saw the purchases,’ he continued. ‘Grimsley’s suggestions didn’t all come from him. He would never have had the courage to do that alone.’
‘The former apprentice is so excited in the changes that are planned for the shop. He’s offered his own suggestions that he would like us to try. We need to expand.’
‘How can we expand?’
‘We have the inventory in storage to be melted and reshaped. Grimsley’s found another shop location and, if we take it, the agreement is that the rent on the new shop will be almost nothing for the first year. We’re to take in an older journeyman at the new site and Abernathy will work closely with him. So, for one year, it is almost no risk at all, only profit, and we will add to the merchandise with items that we have created from old ones we already have. Nothing extravagant. You make the future profits when you create or buy the merchandise, not only when you sell.’
Her father spoke to her mother. ‘Do you think the Viscount had any idea what he was taking on when he asked our timid little daughter for her hand in marriage?’
Before her mother could answer, Rachael inserted, ‘He did not ask. He spoke of it as a given. As if it were already decided.’
